Plainfield, IN- An alert off duty Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Officer was very observant this afternoon and assisted troopers with the arrests of two men allegedly stealing information sign batteries in a construction zone.

This afternoon, April 27th, at 1:46 p.m. Indiana State troopers were notified that an off duty IMPD officer was holding two men on the entrance ramp of SR 267 to I-70 east bound after observing them load batteries from an information sign and load them in their car.

Preliminary investigation revealed that off duty IMPD Sergeant Brandon Laser was traveling west bound in his personal vehicle on I-70 at the 68 mm and observed a man loading two batteries into the back of a 1985 Ford Taurus. The vehicle was next to a “road work 45 mph” sign.

Sergeant Laser waited for the vehicle to pass then followed it onto the SR 267 ramp. The vehicle ran the red light and appeared to be trying to evade Sergeant Laser. The vehicle then pulled onto the east bound I-70 ramp from SR 267 and suddenly stopped. Laser exited his vehicle and held the two men until units from the Indiana State Police and Plainfield Police arrived.

Two Interstate batteries were observed in the rear of the station wagon. A Road Safe Traffic Systems representative arrived at the scene and positively identified the batteries as being used in the informational sign.

The two men were arrested and transported to the Hendricks County Jail without incident.

Anyone seeing suspicious activity or unauthorized vehicles around highway construction equipment is urged to call 911 and report it immediately.

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